Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

c::::».... the free market after losing our principle markets in the East," Steiner said. "No enterprise can long survive such conditions. About 70% of the market has collapsed and the political system is kaput. We're no longer a 3000 employee firm making 80,000 motorcycles. On the contrary, since our privatization in July, we've founded a new 160 person firm, showing our wares for the coming year." Asked for example of MZ's technical developments, Steiner said, "In my view we have a fine example - the classic MZ 500 Silverstar. It's not just my opinion - journalists have said that, with little appearing from the Far-East, the Silverstar is the star of the show." In 1990, MZ planned to export "simple, repairable motorcycles" to the Third World. Have they made any progress? "We haven't given up," Steiner said. "But the situation has worsened, especially in some of our Arab markets. Nevertheless, MZ philosophy remains the same - to build reliable motorcycles unencumbered by a lot of tomfoolery." A spokesman at the Motokov booth, representing CZ and Jawa, had some good news. "We still produce mopeds with CZ and Jawa. But there has been a big change at CZ - a joint venture with Cagiva." Is production rising or falling since the merger? "Moped production is the same or rising. Jawa motorcycle production has been slashed - 80% of them went to the old Soviet Union, which now takes none. Naturally we export to western Europe - but their quotas aren't as high as we'd like. We have to improve our models and see what the future brings." What about the domestic market i~ Czechoslovakia? "That is only 10% of total production, a bit more for mopeds." Communism also fell hard on Motorcycle-Works-Kiev which makes Dnepr sidecars in the Ukraine, now independent from Russia. Swiss distributor Eugen Eicher, who represented Dnepr at Cologne, said, "Motorcycle Works-Kiev had a tough situation in Russia and the Ukraine, because the disintegration of the USSR into independent republics meant our salaries couldn't be paid in Rubels. We have big problems in our domestic market, which at 100,000 units is most of our sales. We have separated production lines for the 1000 units we export, mostly to western Europe, where my agency coordinates activities since the old contracts lapsed. Here at Cologne we established contacts with Australia and Japan, where we hope to export. We desperately need hard currency, not to buy components, but to convert into Rubels, for which there is much demand (in the Ukraine)." Mainland China was represented by McCoy 50cc scooters, guaranteed to make everyone from "Little Ladies" to "Big Bosses" "fly like an eagle." The military style sidecars and scooters shown by the China Nanchang Aircraft'Manufacturing Co. at 'Cologne '90 were absent. Well, no one ever said going from communism to capitalism would be easy. Work goes on. By early 1994, MZ plans a brand new factory and release of its complete new line of motorcycles. MZ consultant Wolfram Sauerbrey enthuses (Wirtschafts Woche: September 25, 1992) the new line will be "Classics - like English motorcy es about 1965 - easily maintainable, robust, without a lot of hocus-pocus." Fortunately, a lack of hocus-pocus does not rule out a little luck on the road to IFMA Cologne 1994. eN SEE THE GREATEST ...,.,...-=-=~ SUPERCROSSRACERS IN HISTORY! TELEVISION ~c::::» RiCk JOh nSon Broc Glover, Jeff Ward and many, many more! ~~. # ~ -1 911 :Northern California Reno, NV Area - , Date Time & Show 11'30 pm -12:30 am . b wi SX Highlights '85 Rose 0 VVednesday,Sept.9 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm .PJ'iZ'/~ TICHET LA Superbowl of MX 9112 ~~. ~.?'I!jr~ ~~l;~ VVednesday, Sept. 30 '85 World supercrosS Finals, LA For Additional Shows, , , ' . aU sportsChan ne c check your local listings, oar9 00 (415) 296- .P.. ·iZiL:J T I~C K E T Hosted by Larry Huffman :Thursday Nights, . . Southern California / Las Vegas / Arizona Area # 9124 Time Show 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm '88 Meadowlands Supercross Thursday, Oct. 22 9125 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm '88 Tampa Supercross Thursday, Oct. 29 9126 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Best of Supercross 1988 Thursday, Nov. 5 Date -- Check your local listings or Call for Info (714) 362·8311'

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